


prisoner in his own mind

by V_e_s_a_n_u_s



Series: Whumptober 2018 [5]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Free Marches (Dragon Age), M/M, Poison, The Fade, Whumptober, pavellan - Freeform, poisoned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-05
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-07-25 19:09:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16203839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/V_e_s_a_n_u_s/pseuds/V_e_s_a_n_u_s
Summary: Day number 5 of #whumptober! Prompt was poisoned!Lavellan drops unconscious in the middle of the Free Marches, and none of his party knows why. But Dorian is trying everything to make sure his amatus ends up okay. They all are.





	prisoner in his own mind

“Trouble up front!” The Iron Bull shouted, tightening his grip on the large axe in his hands. 

“You think I don’t  _ see _ that, Bull?  _ I’m  _ up front!” Mahanon yelled back, pulling back from where he was leading just as a group of Freemen soldiers appeared in front of them. He cast a small defensive spell when some of them chased after him, stunning and knocking them back, giving him time to retreat behind Bull and Cassandra, who were charging forwards.

The elf fell into step beside Dorian, a grin spread across his face, “I told you this would be fun, vhenan!”

“This-” Dorian grunted, spinning around and hurling electricity across the field, “Is not exactly what I’d call  _ fun!” _

Mahanon laughed triumphantly as another foe fell, “Well, at least Bull does.”

The qunari grunted a laugh in response, “That I do, Boss,” before chopping another man’s head off. 

Weapons clashed against each other with loud clanging sounds, the Iron Bull and Cassandra fighting around each other, back to back, almost like a dance they’d both memorised. The two mages were both the same, almost in sync as they spun their staffs around in their hands and threw spells across the battlefield at their respective opponents. 

As always, the Inquisition was efficient.

One of the rogues had separated from the rest, flanking them with quick side-steps. He didn’t go unnoticed, however, and the Inquisitor redirected his attacks towards the sneaking woman. She seemed to panic when the first cold blow hit her, fumbling at her belt and managing to get at one of the pockets with shivering fingers. Mahanon twirled around again, planting his staff on the ground, frost erupting from it. The rogue managed to throw the bottle just before the spell hit her, freezing her in place a split-second before the Iron Bull shattered her into pieces with one savage chop down her middle. 

The small flask dropped at the Inquisitor’s feet before he could leap away, the brownish liquid vaporising as it touched the ground. He stepped away quickly, but not before he managed to get a lungful of the sweet-smelling gas. He spent a moment coughing, trying to get as much of it out of his lungs as possible. When he took a deep breath of clean air, he felt a lot better, only confused that the grenade had no effect bar his brief incapacitation when he was coughing. He wondered if the rogue had just thrown the wrong bottle, maybe a healing potion, but had no more time to think when arrows started flying his way. 

“This is the last of them!” He shouted, blocking the arrows as best he could with only a staff as his shield, “Don’t let them escape!” He brought down a series of lightning bolts from above, striking the handful of soldiers still left standing sequentially. 

Cassandra glanced another sword off with her shield, following up with a lower blow beneath it, digging under her attacker’s breastplate and sinking deep. The man choked and went down, and Cassandra yanked her blade free just as the Iron Bull chopped the hand off of the swordsman who she didn’t see attacking from behind. She nodded at him gratefully as they both turned to the last soldier left. He was an archer, not far removed from the rest of the fray, but he saw them coming and started to run. The Inquisitor froze him in place with a short jab of his staff into the air, and then the archer had to watch his death approach as those two burly warriors trampled towards him, weapons raised. They swung at once, each in different directions, chopping the icy body in three with barely any resistance.

The Iron Bull cheered, scanning the battlefield to see that there were no other assailants left, and Cassandra laughed at him. “Did you see that? I went left, you went right, and he just… split.  _ Fantastic!” _

Mahanon gave his signature grin, watching the two warriors walk back to them, blue eyes sparkling in the midday sun, “Well, that went easier than ex-“

And then suddenly his voice cut off, his mouth still moving around the syllables. He paused for a moment in surprise, then restarted his sentence. Still, nothing. Only hoarse gasps were coming out. 

Dorian saw the look Mahanon gave him, “Are you alright?” 

The elf opened his mouth to explain and then closed it in frustration. He started to feel drowsy, disoriented and light-headed, as if the ground was speeding away from him. Mahanon looked down at the swirling ground beneath him, his whole body trembling, and then his knees gave out. 

“Mahanon?” Dorian yelled in surprise as the elf crashed towards the ground. 

Luckily, Bull was there, scooping him up and then laying him down gently on the ground so he the fall wasn’t so nasty. Dorian has never seen the Iron Bull worried before. There was no teasing glint in his eye, no quirked lip, just worry. And that terrified him. 

Dorian knelt down next to him, grabbing one of his hands,  _ “Talk _ to me, amatus!” 

Mahanon’s eyes swivelled wildly in their sockets, pupils wide and afraid, speeding left and right. And then they suddenly stopped. Frozen. It was somehow worse than him panicking. 

It was quiet for a moment, the silence stretching out in an agonising wait… before all of a sudden, his body seized up. He was convulsing, back arching against the floor, his whole body shaking. Dorian’s hands gripped tight around his, trying to be soothing but his mind was blind with panic.

“By the Maker,” Cassandra gaped, unsure of what to do, watching in growing horror as the elf fitted on the ground, “What’s happening here?” Mahanon’s back arched again and his hand slipped free of Dorian’s revealing his hand which was glowing so brightly, it stung her eyes, “Is it something to do with the Anchor?” 

Dorian looked at her, reaching out and grasping Mahanon’s hand again from where it was flailing and examining it. He closed his eyes for a moment, analysing the situation with a clearer head.  _ Of course.  _ He stood up and stepped away from the writhing body on the floor. 

“What? What is it? Did you find something?” 

The mage turned back to them, determination clear in his eyes, “He’s in the Fade,” he said clearly, before drawing on his mana and slamming his staff into the ground with a deep boom. 

Before either of the warriors could react, Dorian was falling backwards onto the grass, his staff falling from his hand and his eyes fluttering asleep.

__

“Mahanon!” Dorian shouted into the thick of the Fade, his voice distorted and warped as it echoed further and further in. “Amatus, can you hear me?” 

He looked around, checking for any sign of the other mage, squinting at the sharp, eerie green of the sky that seemed to seep through his skin. Wind whipped around his head, deafening but muting everything around him, the strange sensation disorienting. But through that, he could hear something unmistakable.

_ “Dorian!”  _

His head snapped towards the sound, running towards it instinctively. He paused and listened again, waiting for the repeated call, and then followed it as best he could. After what felt like years of running, he found him. Mahanon was leant against a rock, brown hair plastered against his head with sweat, looking panicked but tired.

“Thank the Maker,” Dorian sighed, pulling his thin form in for a tight embrace. 

The elf reached up and stroked his hair soothingly, “I knew you’d find me.”

Dorian murmured into his shoulder, muffled by the material there, “I was so worried,” and then he pulled back with angry eyes, “Thank the Maker you’re okay.” 

“Dorian, I-“ Lavellan looked around warily, “I’m not okay.” 

“What? But you’re here, you’re fine!” 

“I’m not here  _ physically,  _ Dorian. My mind is fine, that’s why I look it, but I-“ 

Dorian chased his down-turning gaze, holding it and staring into his eyes, “What is it?” 

“I can’t move,” he paused, “Out there, I can’t move. I’m completely paralysed,” Dorian looked at him with dawning horror, “I can hear you, I can  _ see _ you but I can’t  _ do  _ anything. And it’s… it’s getting worse. I can feel my breaths shallowing, I can feel my heart slowing down. I don’t know how long I have left.” 

Dorian’s jaw tensed, his jaw grinding together. He stepped back with steely determination, “Then we have no time to lose,” he said, placing a hasty kiss on Mahanon’s lips before forcing himself to wake up.

 

* * *

When he came to, Dorian sat up immediately, almost headbutting Cassandra who was leaning over him. He stood up quickly, striding over to where Mahanon’s body was lying. He was now completely stock still; no convulsions, no breathing, nothing.

“He can see and hear us but he can’t move. He’s a prisoner trapped in his own body!” Dorian explained, trying to keep his voice steady as he knelt down   him. “Bull, we need to get him back to camp. He needs help.” 

“It’s hemlock,” Bull said reservedly, eyes narrowed.

“What?” 

“The poison they used, in that grenade, probably, it was hemlock. I’ve seen it before, used it, even,” the Iron Bull looked into Dorian’s hurting eyes, “And I know the antidote.” 

The mage breathed a sigh of relief, watching as the Qunari turned and left them, searching the ground and nearby plants, “Thank you,  _ thank you.”  _ Dorian cried, turning back to Mahanon, pressing a small kiss onto his lips, “Did you hear him, amatus? You’re going to be alright! It’s all going to be alright.” 

_ “You’ll be fine.” _

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed! Let me know with comment and kudos if you have the time! :D


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